Cllr O'Reilly takes chain of office at Council AGM

Virginia councillor T.P. O'Reilly has been appointed Cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council for the next year despite a bid by Sinn Féin for the position.

The chain of office was handed over by outgoing chair, Philip Brady (FF), at the council's AGM this morning in the Council Chamber.

Cllr O'Reilly was proposed for the role by his Fine Gael party colleague, Cllr Trevor Smith; seconded by Cllr Carmel Brady (FG).

However, a rival bid for the chair was made by Sinn Féin, which won three seats on Cavan County Council in the recent Local Elections.

The party put forward Cllr Damien Brady from Ballyconnell who won back the seat he lost in 2019.

He was nominated by Cllr Stiofán Conaty and seconded by Cllr Noel Connell.

However, Cllr O'Reilly was elected following a vote.

The Leas Cathaoirleach role went to newcomer, Cllr Niall Smith (FF) from Bailieborough, who secured a seat on his first time out.

Cllr Smith was proposed and seconded by his party colleagues, Cllr Clifford Kelly and Cllr John Paul Feeley respectively.

Again Cllr Damien Brady (SF) was nominated but lost out following a second vote.

Cllr Philip Brady, meanwhile, was praised for the way in which he represented his party and county during his tenure over the past year.

Cllr T.P. O'Reilly was congratulated by members of the executive and fellow councillors.

He said it was a "proud day" for his family and thanked, in particular, his late father Peter for his influence.

Also present in the Chamber were Cllr O'Reilly's mother, Mary; brother Philip from Lisgrey House; sisters Rosemary, Helen, Anita and Sinead.

Cllr O'Reilly's political journey has been marked by significant milestones, after first throwing his hat into the political arena in 2019 when he claimed nearly 14% of the overall first preference vote in the Ballyjamesduff area.

In the 2024 local elections, Cllr O'Reilly again garnered a substantial number of votes, with 1,252 (10.52%).

O'Reilly's political aspirations though extend beyond local governance. In 2020 he made a determined bid to secure a seat in Dáil Éireann as one of three candidate (Heather Humphreys, Sandra McIntyre), getting 5,124 first preference votes, missing out narrowly on the last and final seat.

Although this did not culminate in him making it to Leinster House, it certainly highlighted his overall ambition to try and influence the broader legislative arena.

Municipal District Chairs

Meanwhile, the AGMs for each of the three Municipal District Authorities immediately followed the full council meeting.

Cllr Patricia Walsh (FF) secured the chair for the Cavan Belturbet MD; Cllr Shane P. O'Reilly (II) will sit at the helm in Ballyjamesduff; while Cllr Sarah O'Reilly (Aontú) will take the chair in Bailieborough Cootehill for the year ahead.